Railroad.



PATENTED JUNE 27, 1905.

G. A. LE FEV'RE.

RAILROAD. APPLICATION FILED MAR.11}1905 III-r 6 5 mm 0U 6M. fi/ R \m. E 0 K 4 B WITNESSES:

NITED STATES Patented June. 27, 1905.

GEORGE A. LE FEVRE, OF ORANGEBURG, NEW YORK.

RAILROAD.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0, 793,449, dated June 27, 190 5.

' Application filed March 11, 1905. Serial Nb. 249,582.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE A. LE FEVRE, of Orangeburg,'in the county of Rockland and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Railroad, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to improvements in railroads; and the object of my invention is to produce a simple all-metallic structure in which longitudinal sleepers, metallic crossties, the usual form of rail, and suitable fastening devices to secure the parts together are used.

The object of my invention is to produce a very simple and substantial structure of this kind which when in position in the road-bed is essentially permanent, which can be made of simple forms of iron easily rolled out, and which can be easily laid.

With these ends in view my invention consists of a railroad the construction and arrangement of which will be hereinafter described and the novel features claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar figures of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a perspective view, partly in section, of a railroad, showing my improvements. Fig. 2 is a broken cross section through one of the rails and the adjacent portions of the longitudinal sleeper and cross-tie. Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, but showing a slight modification of the cross-tie; and Fig. 4 is a cross-section of the tie.

The railroad has longitudinal sleepers 10,

which can be of any approved form, but which are preferably in the form of a T, and this T can be most conveniently made up of commercial angle-iron 11, these parts being fastened together with their fiat sides abutting and so as to leave a flat top surface. When made up of angle-iron, the parts should be united so as to break joints and make practically a continuous sleeper. This structure of sleeper, however, I do not claim, but show it as a convenient form of connection to be used with the other parts of the railroad. The sleepers 10 are connected at necessary intervals by cross-ties 12, which are flat, or essentially so, on top and which are preferably in the form of angle-iron, as the drawings show. Each tie 12 is longitudinally slotted, as shown at 13, at a point beneath the rail to be presently referred to, and the under flanges of the channel-iron are cut into, as at 14, and the portions of the flanges which are to come opposite the top of the sleeper 10 are rolled inward, as shown at 15 in Fig. 1, making a slight thickening of the tie at the point whereit rests on the sleeper and also aflording a seat to receive the top of the sleeper, which prevents any longitudinal displacement of the tie. If desired, the cross-tie can be provided with top edge flanges, as shown at 12 on the tie 12 in Fig. 3, and these flanges may be cut away and rolled in where the tie receives the rail, as shown in Fig. 3 and as already described, except that the flange is turned in on top as well as on the bottom. The ordinary track-rails 19 are used. which are supported on the ties directly above the sleepers 10, and the parts can all be conveniently fastened together by means of clips 16, bolts 17, and wedges 18. The clips 16 are arranged in pairs above and below the flat surface of the cross-tie and are shaped so as to fit on the upper side over the base-flange of the rail and on the under side over the flanges of the longitudinal sleeper 10, as shown clearly in Figs. 2 and 3. Where the bolts 17 are used, they are provided with slots to receive the wedges 18, which can be driven in tightly and their thin ends turned up or headed, as shown in Fig. 2; but instead of this device ordinary fastening-bolts can be used, as in Fig. 3.

It will be noticed that the slots 13 provide a convenient means for placing the fasteningbolts in position to secure the clips. I do not, however, limit the invention to the use of the fastening-clips 16 or the particular means for fastening the clips in place, as other equivalentdevices can be used for fastening the rail to the cross-tie and to the longitudinal sleeper 10; but the arrangement shown and described makes a very simple and exceedingly-strong structure.

It will be noticed that the longitudinal sleepers 10 are adapted to be embedded in the roadbed of the track; that the cross-ties 12 are seated on the sleepers, so as to prevent any spreading of the sleepers and in a way to prevent the displacement of the cross-ties; further, that the cross-ties are strengthened at the points Where they engage the sleepers, and, finally, that the track-rails are securely held to both cross-ties and sleepers and are sup,-

. ported above and in line with the sleepers, so

as to make a very solid structure.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. A railroad comprising longitudinal sleepers each having the general cross-section of a T, cross-ties of flat channel-iron connecting the sleepers and provided with seats to rest on and engage the sleeper-tops, track-rails on the cross-ties and above the sleepers, and means for fastening the rails, sleepers and cross-ties together.

2. In a railroad, the combination of the longitudinal sleepers and the cross-ties longitudinally slotted at points above the sleepers and provided with seats on their under sides adapted to rest on and engage the top portions of the sleepers. i

3. In a railroad, the combinationof' the longitudinal sleepers and the cross-ties having edge flanges, the said flanges being turned over upon the body portions of the ties to form seats adapted to rest on the sleepers.

4. In a railroad, the combination of the longitudinal sleepers and the cross-ties having edge flanges, the said flanges being cut away to permit the ties to sit on over the sleepers.

5. The combination of the longitudinal sleepers, the longitudinally-slotted cross-ties having seats to fit on over the sleeper-tops,

track-rails resting on the cross-ties, clips fitting against the cross-ties and against the baseflanges ofthe rails and parts of the longitudinal sleepers, and tastening devices extending through the slots of the ties tosecure the clips in place.

GEGRGE A. LE FEV'RE'. Witnesses:

WARREN B. HUTGI-IINSON, WILLIs A. BARNES. 

